By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.25
Director: Dan Minahan
Starring: Brooke Smith | Glenn Fitzgerald | Maylouise Burke | Merrit Wever | Tom Gilroy
Country: united_states
Year: 2001
Running time: 87
IMDB: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0251031
Michael says: “Director Dan Minahan creates a wonderfully accurate movie version of a reality TV show taken to extremes. In ‘The Contenders,’ contestants picked at random play against each other… kill or be killed. Dawn (Brooke Smith from VANYA ON 42ND STREET and SILENCE OF THE LAMBS) is the reigning champion having survived two previous rounds. Now, eight months pregnant, she fights for her life, her title and the life of her child. The other contestants run the gamut, from an elderly man reluctant to get involved, to an 18-year-old girl with supportive parents. In a made-for-tv twist, Dawn’s high school love, who also happens to be dying of testicular cancer, is also a contender.
“The humor is black… and laugh out loud funny. The satire is rather obvious… but for me, surprisingly effective. I actually found myself caught up in the ‘game’ which was somewhat disturbing at film’s end. While the premise alone, or maybe 30 minutes of film make the point strongly enough, I certainly enjoyed the film quite a bit for its audaciously black humor and the deftness with which the reality TV genre was captured.
“Acting is somewhat up and down, but mostly good with unknowns playing ‘real people.’ Brooke Smith shines as Dawn, a murderous champion who you can’t help but root for.” 4 cats
Nathaniel says: “HANNIBAL opens to huge box office. Meanwhile, over at the arthouse, a smarter and more topical dark satire (featuring one of SILENCE OF THE LAMBS’ original cast) is opening with much less fanfare. SERIES 7 may lack HANNIBAL’S gargantuan production budget but it has a wealth of ideas that money can’t buy. A hit at the Sundance film festival, series 7is a fictional TV marathon of the latest reality TV craze, ‘The Contenders.’ The Contenders is now in its seventh season (hence the title). The show pits average citizens against each other in a life or death game of kill or be killed. The movie is the brainchild of writer/director Daniel Minahan who did time in tabloid TV and brings a dead on understanding of the genre and an outrageously funny voice to the proceedings. It’s a shocking comedy that implicates the audience’s bloodlust in a far more clever way than anything you’ll see in HANNIBAL.
“It’s a difficult task to implicate an audience while simultaneously entertaining them. I got the sense watching it that the director’s gambit of a climax set in a movie theater wouldn’t work for everyone, but it worked just fine for this audience member. Minahan’s hire wire balancing act is helped considerably by a fine cast. Each principal actor helps to make the film accessible and turns in memorable work; Glenn Fitzgerald is striking as Dawn’s former boyfriend and current competitor. Mary Burke is deadpan and a little frightening as the religious ’empathetic’ nurse Connie. But it’s in the lead performance that Minahan has struck gold. As the series’ reigning champion, Dawn ‘Bloody Mama’ Lagarto, Brooke Smith is marvelous. Though Ms. Smith has usually been relegated to small roles, she does tend to make lasting impressions. She was particularly memorable in LAMBS and in VANYA ON 42ND STREET (opposite HANNIBAL’s Julianne Moore). Given a rare chance at a lead role, she is ferociously on. She’s funny, moving, and realistic despite the outrageous premise. Her voice is pitch perfect. She has completely mastered the sound of real people who are trying to be themselves on camera -just a shade too aware that they’re on television. It’s a star turn of comic inspiration and actorly precision. I hope it nets this talented actress other challenging roles.
“SERIES 7 has an avertising budget that is positively Lillipution in comparison to the overall media attack of HANNIBAL. Word of mouth will have to do. I’ll start gabbing about it now. If you see a trailer or notice a print ad for the film, opening slowly across the country, the narrator will ask ‘Are you game?’ Your answer should be an unequivocal ‘Yes.”
Robin says: “SERIES 7 is an audacious idea and Minahan has some clever moments, but not enough to sustain it for almost 90 minutes. One problem with the film is that the concept of killer TV is no longer all that far-fetched. When NETWORK broke ground in the 70’s with the first use of ‘reality TV’ as its focus, it was way over the top, concept-wise. Now, with such shows as ‘Survivor’ and ‘Temptation Island,’ a TV show that showed, not staged, real killing is almost a logical progression for our society’s entertainment needs. What was outrageous 30 years ago is getting to be commonplace today” 2 1/2 cats
For Robin’s complete review: “http://www.reelingreviews.com/series7.htm“